The transfer window had not closed yet.
The scandals or soap operas of Arsenal's star players had not ended. Henry and Barcelona, Qin Xiong and Real Madrid. Before Henry took the initiative to state his position, Qin Xiong and Arsenal's contract renewal was not officially finalized, there would always be room for speculation in the outside world.
One factor that Wenger had to consider was: if Arsenal announced their failure to defend their title in the first half of the new season, would Qin Xiong and Henry choose to leave when the winter transfer window opened?
The importance of these two players to the team was self-evident.
Two days before the opening game of the Premier League, Wenger came to the training ground and had a pragmatic and serious talk with the team.
Wenger did not take out his attitude of protecting the team's dignity in front of the media, just like how he insisted in front of the media that Arsenal was perfect and had the strongest lineup and so on. Any coach who knew a little about football would know how lame Wenger's lies were.
Why was a mature team made up of at least 20 players?
Why did they need so many substitutes?
It was because it was absolutely unrealistic to rely on 13 or 14 players to fight in multiple tournaments and play more than 50 games per person without injury or loss of players!
Wenger spoke frankly and honestly to the players about the predicament the team faced. The competition in European football was getting fiercer every season, and the requirements for strong teams were getting higher and higher. Arsenal was a little out of touch during this period, and he had to admit that.
Even Real Madrid, which had gathered so many big name superstars, had lost to something in two seasons? Not to their opponents!
But to themselves!
They collapsed at the end of the season because of physical exhaustion!
If it were not for the physical factor, Real Madrid would not have failed to reap any rewards in the past two years.
So even if Wenger was right and Arsenal had what he thought was the strongest player, the best player in line with Arsenal's football philosophy, it was not enough. The depth of the bench was a shortcoming!
Coupled with the significant impact of Vieira's departure, Fàbregas' new position needed a transition period to adapt. The concept of playing a few games without pressure as a substitute and playing as the main force needed to continue to play steadily and well were two completely different concepts.
Arsène Wenger took into account all the factors from all sides and came up with an overall strategy for Arsenal's campaign this season.
If it were not for Chelsea's aggressiveness and Arsenal's Champions League defeat in a regrettable way last season, Wenger would not have made such a decision. He was really confident in the team's lineup, but there was always a clear gap between them and the highest throne, forcing him to learn from his mistakes. Coupled with the doubts about the futures of Henry and Qin Xiong, internal pressure also forced him to take control of the overall situation and lead Arsenal to appease the people with their results.
Before Wenger made such a decision, the team he thought of was Chelsea.
But it was not Mourinho's Chelsea. It was the Chelsea of the 0304 season when Ranieri and Abramovich crossed paths.
That season, Chelsea had just ushered in Abramovich's era and kicked off the golden era of football. Chelsea was able to recruit players in the transfer market to strengthen themselves, but Ranieri was not blinded by the strong lineup. He pragmatically formulated the core tactic for the team: counterattack.
From then on, Chelsea was counterattack. But it was different from the Chelsea of Mourinho's era. The latter further sublimated counterattack and had epoch-making reforms in counterattack methods. The rise of the modern frontline group!
Chelsea was runner-up in the Premier League that season. If their results were analyzed specifically, it would be found that Chelsea's home and away records were very balanced. They ranked second in the away record, only two points behind Arsenal, who had an unbeaten record. They ranked third in the league with their home record, behind Arsenal and Manchester United.
It could be said that Chelsea's away games were more successful than their home games. After all, home games had a home advantage.
The reason for Ranieri's failure to win the title was also clear at a glance: they lost at home.
As the English team had to attack at home to cater to the wishes of the home fans, few teams would set up an iron bucket formation to face the opponent at home. Therefore, Chelsea's counterattack had a lot of room to play in the away game and could successfully plunder points.
But when Chelsea was at home, they lacked the means to attack. Weak opponents could also put down their pride to defend because it was an away game. Chelsea's offensive strength was inferior to Arsenal's, so they lost to Arsenal by nine points in their home record. They ranked second in the league with an 11-point gap between the home team and the away team.
The problem in front of Arsenal today was simple. They needed to pragmatically ensure their league record. At the same time, they were so aggressive in attacking in the away game last season, which led to serious physical exhaustion. There was no doubt that such a problem would also occur this season.
Therefore, Wenger formulated a strategy of defensive counterattack in the away game and a balance of offense and defense at home to ensure the home team's points. It was not a copy of Chelsea, but Chelsea was a team with a brilliant record in getting points in the away game in the last two seasons. Their success was worthy of attention.
Arsenal tactically regressed. In the early days when Wenger took charge of Arsenal, Arsenal relied on the stable defense of the five old defenders to revive with counterattack tactics.
Now, Arsenal needed to be pragmatic. It was impossible for Fàbregas, who was newly promoted after Vieira left, to fantasize that they could play more brilliantly and aggressively than last season.
Wenger confessed that the team needed to adjust and break in this season because the young players were starting to take the lead.
When he informed everyone of his decision, no player would object. In fact, they were not qualified to object.
The situation of the team was like this. Wenger's adjustment had his reasons. Who had opinions? What was the use of just objecting? Could anyone give a better opinion?
As for whether Wenger's adjustment was right or wrong, there was no guarantee.
What kind of effect it would have could only be seen during the season or at the end of the season.
Whether it would be a crushing defeat or maintain glory in the cracks, they could only wait and see.
In the specific tactical planning, Qin Xiong and Henry were listed as the core of the most important by Wenger.
Whether it was playing offense at home or defense in the away game, the team must play around these two players.
The tactics were certainly not fixed, but the thinking must be clear.
For example, when Henry had a chance in the front line, then the midfield line with Qin Xiong as the core must create opportunities for Henry. This was a tactical requirement that had always existed in the past.
Now, when Arsenal encountered an iron bucket formation or intensive defense more and more frequently, when it was difficult for Henry to find opportunities in the front line, then the other teammates, including Henry, had to do their best to create opportunities for Qin Xiong!
The flexibility of these requirements depended on the players' own improvisation.
Qin Xiong and Henry's sense of teamwork also prevented Wenger's tactical requirements from becoming a failure. When the two of them could create opportunities for their teammates, the two of them would naturally do so without hesitation.
Arsenal, which was gradually out of touch with the times due to the tight money supply, moved forward cautiously in the cracks …
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